Describes the early childhood education system in New Zealand, and "Te Whaariki," the comprehensive National Early Childhood Education Curriculum Guidelines. Includes a discussion of the curricular aims, theoretical underpinnings, and foundational principles and goals; also discusses meeting the needs of children with special needs, the…

Discusses the development of a multimedia CD-ROM that would help teachers address the "Evaluating and Appreciating" aspect of the Scottish Guidelines for 5-14 Expressive Arts. Focuses on a pilot study that aimed to determine whether the software assisted them in delivering "Evaluating and Appreciating" in art. (CMK)

Compares the 1989 National Curriculum implemented in Great Britain with the National Agenda for Curriculum Reform in Australia. Reports some of the concerns about early childhood education (heavily subject-dominated curriculum and formalized assessment) the curriculum caused in Britain. Urges Australian educators to learn from Britain's experience…

Recent British educational reforms, particularly the adoption of a national curriculum, have increased centralized control of education. Since 1988, teachers have witnessed the erosion of universities' role in teacher training, the "marketization" of the national inspection system for schools, and the imposition of school assessment…

Describes authentic pedagogy, providing theoretical background and a conceptualization of authentic pedagogy within the context of instruction and research. Examines the extent to which characteristics of authentic pedagogy were found in three Dutch secondary schools, concluding that all three lacked the characteristics. (CMK)

Calls for teachers to share their experiences with target setting, benchmarking, and value added in writing. Also defines each of the three terms. (DDR)

This paper describes the methods and outcomes of a 12-year longitudinal study into the effects of an early intervention program, while reflecting back on changes that have occurred in approaches to research, learning and instruction since the preliminary inception stages of the study in the mid 1960s. We began the study to challenge the prevailing…

The 2002 restructuring of the national curriculum in all Japanese public elementary and secondary schools includes a reduction and reallocation of instructional hours, and the addition of a new "integrated studies" course, with an emphasis on more individualized, cross-curricular thematic projects. This reform comes at a time when a…

This position paper offers a review of the recent criticisms levelled against the products of the National History Standards committees and addresses those criticisms. The four issues of controversy suggested for consideration when examining the U.S. history or world history volumes include: (1) Who wrote these books? (2) Are the standards…

As the assessments mandated by the British National Curriculum have come into use, teachers have found the core concern to be how to manage the assessment of each student's progress within the framework of the statutory requirements. This book focuses on the assessment of students of ethnic minority backgrounds and presents a collection of…

This document contains proceedings of the hearing held on September 12, 1995, before the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies, which is a subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations. The purpose of the hearing was to hear testimony on the funding for Goals 2000, the Educate…

In 1989, England implemented the National Curriculum for state schools, which made prescriptive demands on teaching content and approach. This study discusses the requirements of and the controversies surrounding the National Curriculum, and the titles of books being promoted for student reading which reflect long-established children's fiction…

Most American visitors to Japanese senior high schools have observed only the very best public academic schools in the nation. Two-thirds of Japanese students attend other schools. This book presents findings of a case study that focused on the 12th-grade experience in a Japanese public general high school. The data were supplemented by visits to…

This essay outlines the major changes in Swedish educational policy that occurred during the 20-year period from 1976 to 1996, with a focus on key issues in the development of the comprehensive school. Effects of the policy changes on Swedish curriculum research over the last 20 years are examined. Educational researchers neglected or were slow to…

Many countries have introduced a range of policies that attempt to reformulate the relationships among government, schools, and parents through the application of market forces. This paper looks at the hidden curriculum of marketization and explores the extent to which the recent trend toward quasi-markets in public education systems are…